Cultural Resources of
Plum Island

As
described on the homepage and history section, the
island possesses significant cultural resources that
merit protection. These notably include the Plum Island
lighthouse and the remains of Fort Terry, a remnant from
the Spanish-American War as well as World Wars I and II.
The island was the site of an early Revolutionary War
raid (when General David Wooster’s troops made an
amphibious landing and attacked a British outpost, which
had been raiding livestock on Long Island). During the
War of 1812, British and American ships plied its nearby
waters.

Just before the Spanish-American War, the federal
government constructed Fort Terry as an artillery post,
strategically located at the entrance of Long Island
Sound. A unique aspect of this fort was a “mini-gauge”
railroad with a locomotive and cars used to move
materials about to the various batteries and buildings.
The fort actually consisted of nearly two dozen
buildings and fortifications spread throughout the
island, mostly in the central
and eastern end of the
island. It remained an artillery post during World War
I, and became an anti-submarine station during World War
II when Nazi
U-Boats trolled off the North American
coast.

Immediately after World War II, Fort Terry was used
as a research laboratory to study foot and mouth
disease, and ultimately grew into the current PIADC. The
U.S. government has also invested in the upkeep and
preservation of the historic Plum Gut Lighthouse since
it was built in 1827 atop an eroding bluff. It rebuilt
the crumbling masonry in 1869-70 and spent more than
$1.5 million in recent years on erosion control. The
Town of Southold and the East End Lighthouses
organization have also raised tens of thousands of
dollars for preservation of the lighthouse.